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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · sharp · scale · calf · chair · tear · jam · content

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wind — moving air
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. scale — in music
  8. tear — to rip
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. chair — a leader
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wind — moving air
  14. scale — size or range
  15. content — the amount
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. content — happy
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — from crying
  23. sharp — clever
  24. content — videos and posts

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com